R.Epstein
When I left San Diego in 1992 for Prague, it was a very different place than it is today. In 1992, San Diego was “enjoying” the peace dividend which caused the virtual destruction of the defense industry there and less military spending in a town very dependent economically on the presence of the Navy and Marines. The recession of the early ’90’s caused the tourist industry to slow and the exodus of the defense industry workers caused a demographic shift which caused real estate to lose 30 to 50% of its value by around 1995. And that was about all there was. But that was then.
Now, San Diego enjoys a very diverse ecomony that simply did not exist in 1992. There is a vibrant telecom segment which has spilled over into sofware development and internet companies. There is the second or third most important biotech cluster in the world. And then the military presence, the comeback of the defense industry as a result of 9/11 and tourism is stronger than ever. But where did all of this come from?
UCSD Connect, now known as simply Connect, with its offshoot of Global Connect. For more information about the current organization, go to www.connect.org. Historically, UCSD Connect, with its ability to tap into the creative genius of the faculty of UCSD and bring professional service providers and venture capital around them, it was able to become a catalyst for the growth of both of the technology communities. Through Global Connect, www.globalconnect.ucsd.edu, the Connect concept is being successfully spread around the world. A very good thing in the author’s humble opinion.
